Apr 25, 2012

What is Your Dream?

Yesterday I went to a thing at my school for the dream share project. For more info on that just go to www.thedreamshareproject.com. It was very inspiring but I kind of didn't understand their story but the people they had interviewed were very helpful. First i'll talk about the people who did this presentation. They were a couple who had graduated a few years ago and got stuck at desk jobs they both hated. One day they decided to quit their jobs and go on a road trip. On this road trip they decided to stop at different cities and interview someone who had followed their dream and became a success. The main person that stuck with me in their different interviews was a blogger who started the Operation Beautiful. Her information can be found at www.operatonbeautiful.com. Her mission consists of writing positive messages letting people know how beautiful they are on a sticky note. After you write something positive put the sticky note on the inside of a bathroom stall, a mirror in the bathroom, on a door, a bulletin board, locker, or any public place were people will see it. I love the bathroom stall location the best because lets just think back to the last time you cried at school or work, were did you go? The bathroom stall. It is a great place for people to be uplifted and told how important and beautiful they are.
I am telling you about this because I feel it is my purpose in life to spread inspiration in some way. I feel this is the way. I can post it on the door of every bathroom stall at my school and uplift hundreds and thousands. I realized through share your dream project presentation yesterday that it is really important to me to make a difference in one person or multiple peoples lives. I want to better myself, I am a huge believer in continual growth. I want to continue growing as a person for the rest of my life.
Some of the quotes they gave were very inspiring to me so I thought I might share some with you:
1) "Decisions made very quickly can be every bit as a good decision made cautiously and deliberately." - Malcome Galdwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
2) "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safer harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
3) "If you want to see your future, look into the mirror." - Buddhist proverb
4) "Seek out successful people and ask their advice. Often times, you will be surprised abot how eager they are to share their stories." - Catlin Boyle, Operation Beautiful
5) "It's okay to feel anxious about challenges. You should start worrying when you don't have any anxiety or challenges because that means you aren't doing anything passionate." 
-Todd Kashdan, Psychology Professor, George Mason University


After the presentation they had a workshop. Me and Garrett were adamant to stay because we didn't want to have to talk about our dreams in front of strangers. We thought it was going to be an open discussion but to my delightful surprise it was not. They gave everyone a booklet (pages stapled together). With in these pages were various exercises.

The first one was of course the "Warm-up Exercise." We were told we were going to have to think fast. We were given 10 sec. to think of an answer.
1) The first question was "What is one thing you want to do before you die?"

  • The first thing that popped into my head was go to Greece. I was kind of surprised but I went ahead and quickly wrote it down. 

2) Then the said STOP and asked the next question which was "What makes you get out of bed in the morning?"

  • I simply put down Garrett's name. The reason being yes he is my best friend and my everything but also he likes to get up 30 min before me every single morning. I think its because he gets joy out of rudely awakening me and likes to bug me, you know to satisfy his evil side. Inside joke, kinda lame, anyways.
3) They yelled STOP a few seconds later then asked the third question. "What did you want to do as a kid?"

  • Suddenly I wrote Farmer. My dad, grandfather, and great uncle were all farmers. 
4) Then he asked everyone "quickly write down your dream job as of today?"

  • I wrote open an online accessory store. It has been a dream of mine for a little over a year now. I have other dreams but that is the first one to pop in my head so I quickly wrote it down. They informed us that the reason they wanted us to only have 10 seconds to thing was so we put the first thing that came to mind which usually is were your heart truly lies. 

The next exercise was kind of morbid when I first read it but then realized the meaning. Ill go ahead and tell you so you can think for yourself. "Imagine the end of your life and write your own obituary, including: what you will have accomplished, how you will be remembered, and what your legacy will be." I put down some random stuff but I will share:

  • Travel the world
  • Graduate from LSU
  • Survive two children
  • Stop animal cruelty
  • Open one of the top accessory stores
  • Built a beautiful home
  • Wrote a motivational book
  • Motivated millions
  • Saved lives
  • Changed many lives
  • Successful Fashion Blogger
  • Successful YouTube Guru
  • Spread love and happiness
  • Lived 100 years
  • made every mistake in the book 
  • Inspiring woman
  • Very loved woman
I was shocked at some of the things I found important in my life. To write a book has been something I have joked about for years but never really thought it was that important to me. I never realized how badly and passionately I wanted to effect a life in a positive way. I was surprised and I learned a lot about myself through this exercise.
The next exercise was the "Time Analysis." They gave us a picture of a chart labeled with the hours from 6 am to 9 pm. We were to write down by each time slot what we normally do at that time everyday. You know on average. Then in another column beside each hour were your wrote what you were doing you write if it is a necessity or a leisure thing. Sleep and eating and watching TV being leisure. There was one more column and it was aligned with what you wanted to to or not. After you fill it out you look at the necessary and aligned items and I realized I do a lot more leisure things that don't align with what I wanted to do than necessary things that had to do with my dream.

Our next exercise was to "Identify Roadblocks"

  • I wrote down Support, money and a path.
With this exercise we had to get into groups of 4-5 people and discuss possible solutions: This is were everyone had trouble. We didn't put anything down so im just going to brain storm here and see what I can come up with. Here we go:

  • 1st thing I put was Support. One thing me and others need to realize is people are always going to be unsupportive of your dreams. Its up to you to make a difference and make your dreams come true. It is very hard to admit that but the solution I feel is to read motivational books, and self motivate and support yourself. You do not need anyone to bring you up. You are enough and you are worth your dream. That is me motivational voice inside me I have been practicing. I hope it works for you.
  • 2nd thing is money. Money was a hard one because money will always be an issue for most and you could look at it like go get a job you will be miserable at to make enough to start your dream business or pursuit your dream but I wouldn't recommend that because people tend to get comfortable and think to much and brush their dreams under the rug. So I guess my advice even though I haven't been there. But for listening to all the people they interviewed and words they said at the dream share project, I would say you just need to jump regardless if you have the money or not. If you truly are passionate then money will come in time. Key word "In Time."
  • 3rd thing was a path. I struggle with finding which path do I take. I know were I am and I know were I want to go but I don't know how to get there. So as of right now I am just writing about what I am passionate about and filming myself style different things and trying new things on my youtube channel and taking pictures of my journey here on my blog. I hope in time I will make a career out of this and become a success.
Which brings me to the last exercise "Defining Success."
They had a Dictionary.com definition which stated:
Success [suh k-sess]
1. The attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
They then asked us to write our own definition of success. I put:

  • Finding true happiness and doing what you love.

I would highly recommend checking out these web-cites:
www.thedreamshareproject.com
www.operationbeautiful.com

I am truly inspired and I hope you do this exercise and become inspired to follow your dreams and inspire others to do the same. And don't forget you are beautiful and don't let anyone tell you any different! <3 <3 <3

















Apr 24, 2012

April Birchbox Earth Day Awesomeness


This was the most exciting Birchbox yet! It was so earthy and so gorgious when I opened it up. Everything was so yummy smelling and frankly delicious looking. If that makes since... 




The first thing in the box that caught my eye was the Befine food skincare box. It was a facial exfoliating cleanser (3 packs) and a SPF moisturizer (2 packs) I didn't realize until I received an email from Birchbox saying that they were informed the moisturizer was outdated, and I thought it was probably a few months but NO it expired in 2009. So I probobly wont be using that. But, I did try out the cleansing exfoliater and it was amazing, it has brown sugar, almond butter and 


Taylor Swifts Wonderstruck was the next thing I got and usually i'm not a huge fan of the perfumes they send but this one is so yummy. Its deeper and not like spraying popery all over you. I am a huge fan, and honestly never would have thought about buying it before.


This LuLu Hair Powder was an exciting product because I have only used the spray dry shampoo and I have always wanted to try out the powder shampoo, so I cannot wait to try this one out. I am supper excited about the scent of lavender and sage.

  

The color Bevin. Zoya nail polish is a great nail polish and I love just getting a small amount because I never go through a full bottle of nail polish unless its my traditional colors which are a basic black and a navy blue, these are my main toe nail polishes. The other is my mint green nail polish, I paint my nails that every other paint. Anyways I will say I will never order a nail polish through the mail mainly because I feel I can buy them at a store directly and the same color for about the same price. 


This blueberry awesomeness is exactly that. Im just sad to say there was only 8 towels inside. When I get my next pay check im buying a whole load of these. I might even try out other products from their collection. This one impaticular has a lemon peel, blueberry and apple ingredients in it. It smells amazing and I cannot wait to try it out!

Apr 20, 2012

Toughin' the Spring Look


I am so in love with this look. I have a lot of styles that I love but making feminine a little edgy is defiantly in the top three. This whole outfit was centered around my dress that I wore for Easter three years ago and haven't found a reason to wear it again. Since it is spring time I wanted to utilize this time and bring it out because obviously flowers are a spring staple.
So I went ahead and added Mia my favorite black booties from JustFab. Then, since my new neckless from JusFab, Retro Rider, was in the back of my mind because I just got her less then a month ago, I decided to wear her. I loved so much how much of a statement she turned out to be and it truly kicked my outfit up a notch. Next, I thought of my bag and what I would want to carry around. I knew I would need room because I like to carry a lot of things around with me... :-\ So I went with a messenger bag from JustFab as well names Confession! Garrett bought her for me for Christmas this year and I love her so much. I love mixing patterns and mixing florals with stripes is always the best way to go. If I went out with this outfit it more then likely will be a little chilly so I think a black leather jacket was the perfect icing on the cake. Okay, now lets talk jewelry. We already have such a statement for a neckless so I wanted to keep with the edgy theme and add my favorite black square studs. The rest I just added my everyday gold mens watch, a black flower ring and my gold horseshoe crystal ring. I hope you love this as much as I did!







What I Wore:
Lauren Conrad Collection at Kohls Dress and Jacket
JustFab.com Bag (Confession), Shoes (Mia), and Neckless (Retro Rider)
Forever 21 rings
Francescas Gold Mens Watch

Apr 10, 2012

Inspiration: Kimora's April Fab Favorites from JustFab.com


       Kimora Lee Simmons has amazing style and when I found out a while ago she had partnered with JustFab.com I realized how much of a style icon she really is. Every month JustFab does a Kimora Fab Favorites! Which is every month she puts together her favorite peaces from JustFab that moth, including a piece of jewelry, a handbag, and a pair of shoes.       The items she used were Taj Mahal (a white handbag, which I have coming in the mail soon), Raquel (Coral Heel), and Rings of Fire (2 cocktail rings, one a snake and the other is like a pointed triangle???) any ways since I decided to buy Taj Mahal after I filmed this outfit I used my very old white bag. 
       In this months Issue Kimora paired a bright yellow dress which was very form fitting and paired it with another bright, coral. To make the outfit more amazing she paired it with a touch of turquoise. 
       For me I wanted a loose yellow dress which I already had and I paired it with Colbie a gorgeous coral T-strap heel with an amazing knot detailing on the front and buckles on the side. For jewelry I went for a more bohemian daytime look vs. cocktail glam look, like she did. I really wanted to make this outfit my own. Also I wanted to make it more daytime friendly so I added my trusty ole' denim jacket! <3 Items listed after last picture. I hope you Enjoy <3






Forever 21 Dress and Jewelry
JC Penny Jacket
Urban Outfitter Sun Glasses
JustFab.com Shoes (Colbie) Found Here
Belk Handbag 

Apr 7, 2012

Easter Outfit (HighLow Skirt)


I love so much about this outfit. If I was able to go to church Easter morning this is what I would wear. Instead I am going to be in Colorado with Garrett's family! I have never been so i am really starting to get excited...its the farthest I have ever driven (ridden). So we shall see how that goes and I will do a whole blog dedicated to my trip and what I wore. But, for my outfit I really wanted a high low skirt and when I finally got my hands on it I was so excited and couldn't wait to style it. When I brought it home I will admit I was kind of intimidated. So I put it on my manikin and it stayed there until I just decided i'm going to wear it with another one of my bright colored pieces. So I went with this turquoise silk button tank and to break up the colors I wanted to add a neutral (brown) belt. Doing that I think really lets the colors stand alone while woking to gether to make this outfit. Next I wanted it to look really laid back so I added my Denim Jacket and a multi charm neckless. I really liked how boho this was starting to look. So Keeping with the brown theme I went with my brown sandal wedges and a big light brown bag to lighten up the look and make it even more day time. I had so much fun with this look and I hope you enjoy it as well! <3










What I wore: 
LC Collection High Low Coral Skirt
Target Top
Franchesca Brown Belt and watch
Forever 21 Jewelry 
JC Penny Denim Jacket
JustFab.com Purse 818
Not sure about the Sandals 

Spring Fun

Apr 4, 2012

Lush Collection

Laster night me and Garrett went to the mall with the intention of only buying my refile for Proactive. I have been wanting to increase my collection of Lush for a long time and decided to run over there for a few minutes and possibly buy one or two. I got there and saw so many things and ended up spending $40.
I really had only intended on possibly buying something i had seen on their web-cite from their Easter collection. It is theImmaculate Eggseption bath bomb. When you crack it open there is a little tiny surprise (baby chick) and both are bath bombs. Unfortunately the girl gave me the wrong one and it was just the Fluffy Egg. I was disappointed at first but them realized it was still an amazing bath bomb from their easter collection. I am going to use it tonight and I can not wait. Next, I bought Mrs. Whippy which I have had before and it makes a gorgeous strawberry milkshake bath. Its delciious. Then I really gravitated toward the Bubble Bar section because I had never tried any of them before. So I picked up Rose Jam which reminded me of a delicious macaroon cookie. It was so soft and almost play-dough like. I cannot wait for that one. Also it was my first floral scented anything that doesn't make me nauseous, it actually makes me happy. The next thing I thought was amazing because the description said it would bring a rainbow to your rainy days and it has been raining were Iive for the past few weeks, just on and off. I knew it was meant to be so I grabbed that. Next I saw a big swirly jewel with the name of The Comforter. Sometimes everyone needs comforting. So I grabbed it and actually cannot wait to have a down day so I can use it to feel comforted...Is that crazy??? I think so, but I am okay with that.
That is all I bought unfortunately, I could have walked out with the whole store. Below is a picture of my entire collection of Lush Bath Products and I cannot wait for it to grow more and more. It is going to be very hard for me not to use them all in one week. I could totally live in my bath tube for a week or more with these beauties.


Transforming a Boring Outfit to a fun Spring Day Look

This process I hold near and dear to my heart. I go through this every single morning. I love wearing regular old V-Necks. I wanted to share with people how easy it really is to create a wonderful wardrobe with just few accessories. A pop of color here and there can make a world of difference. If your still wondering how easy it could be just keep scrolling :-)
Enjoy <3


1) Using a plain white V-neck t-shirt from Hanes (bought at Wal-Mart) I pared it with another basic peace, the denim short. These are 2 very important staples to my wardrobe and must haves for the Spring.

2) Next, I decided to go with a white sandal with gold hardware for a simple touch. If I had a pair of bright colorful sandals I would wear them instead. But, another way to have  pop of color on your feet without buying a pair of fun colored sandles would be the traditional ole' painting your nails! I painted my a fun Sea-foam green (which is a beautiful color for the spring time)




3) I wanted to add a floral piece somewhere into my wardrobe so I opted for my square floral scarf. Another option would be to go for a nice statement neckless.



 3 Steps to tie a square scarf:
Step 1) Fold the scarf in half were it makes a triangle. If your scarf has a tag make sure you are holding that end in your hand.



Step 2) lay the pointy tip of the scarf on your stomach and pull the ends to the back above your head, like so.


Step 3) Swop the ends of the scarf from one hand to the other and cross them behind your neck and pull. 


Step 4) lay the 2 ends down onto your chest and tuck slightly under the front piece of your scarf. and tada there you have a beautiful accent piece to your outfit.


4) Since I already had gold hardware on my sandals I decided to make everything gold. I personally love gold over silver but that couldn't be another reason for me choosing gold...obsessed. ok back to the outfit lol. I took my favorite boyfriend watch. 


5) Keeping with the gold theme Since I decided on a scarf instead of a neckless I wanted to add more arm candy, I achieved that by using these gold bangles from Forever 21.


I think that looks great together!



6) I still felt that outfit was a little tired so I grabbed for my amazingly huge pink bag from JustFab and her name is Operative. She is my first bag purchase. Click on this link if you want to check her out and buy her: http://www.justfab.com/index.cfm?action=shop.viewproduct&master_product_id=99010&kw=operative

Thats the finished product!


What I wore:
Hanes White V-Neck 
Chaps Denim Shorts
Forever 21 scarf, and bangles
Sandals ... no idea
JustFab.com Purse